Course Texts. Course Description. Course Objectives. Course Prerequisites. StraighterLine PSY101: Introduction to Psychology

Transcription

1 Intro to Course Texts Lahey, Benjamin B. : An Introduction, 10th edition. McGraw-Hill, ISBN [This text is available as an etextbook at purchase or students may find used, new, or rental copies at this link] Course Description Introduction to provides a general survey of psychology including the relationship between biology and behavior, such as how stress impacts personal health. Other topics introduced in the course include intelligence and reasoning, personality, gender and sex, memory, ethics, and research methods. Course Objectives After completing this course, you will be able to: Define psychology and describe the four goals of psychology. Identify the origins of the field of psychology and analyze how various methods, people and theories have impacted early psychology to evolve into contemporary psychology. Propose ways in which psychologists can apply their expertise in society. Comprehend how race, culture, and ethnicity influence behavior. Describe the discipline and practice of sociocultural psychology. Define the concept hypothesis and theory, analyze the requirements for using the scientific method in psychology, and identify the importance of objectivity in psychological research. Understand research methods in psychology and explain the descriptive research designs. Identify experiments using correlational and experimental research methods. Define the nervous system and analyze how the body works with the nervous system to generate behavior. central, peripheral nervous systems, somatic, and autonomic nervous systems. Distinguish between the Gestalt principles and identify the process of sensory perception. Summarize the effects of drug addiction and dependence and produce real life scenarios resulting from drug abuse. Explain cognitive-social approaches to learning. Compare and contrast the characteristics of observational and latent learning. Identify Sigmund Freud s influence on the study of psychosexual development. Compare and contrast methods and theories for measuring and assessing personality. Identify the relationship between prejudice and stereotypes and describe how these constructions affect our attributions about other people's behavior. Distinguish among the explanations for prejudice and identify some effective techniques for combating prejudice. Course Prerequisites There are no prerequisites to take Introduction to. Important Terms

2 In this course, different terms are used to designate tasks: Practice Exercise: A non-graded assignment to assist you in practicing the skills discussed in a topic. Graded Exam: A graded, timed online test. Proctoring: Web-based proctoring is required for the Final Graded Examination. Course Evaluation Criteria StraighterLine provides a percentage score and letter grade for each course. See Academic Questions section in FAQ for further details on percentage scores and grading scale. A passing percentage is 70% or higher. If you have chosen a Partner College to award credit for this course, your final grade will be based upon that college's grading scale. Only passing scores will be considered by Partner Colleges for an award of credit. There are a total of 1000 points in the course: Topic Assessment Points Available 4 Graded Exam # Graded Exam # Graded Exam # Graded Exam #4 125 Review Final Graded Exam 500 Total 1000 Course Topics and Objectives Topics Topic Subtopics Objectives 1 The History of Science In Origins of Theories and Methods Applied Nature Versus Nurture Define psychology and describe the 4 goals of psychology. Identify the origins of the field of psychology and analyze how various methods, people and theories have impacted early psychology to evolve into contemporary psychology. Identify career options in the psychology field, predict future opportunities in the field, and discuss how each career advances or improves the discipline of psychology.

3 2 Scientific Method In 3 Biology and Behavior Scientific Method Research Methods Ethics and Research In The Nervous System Genetics and Behavior Describe the phrase nature vs. nurture and explain how biological and environmental factors influence and determine behavior. Describe the discipline and practice of sociocultural psychology. Propose ways in which psychologists can apply their expertise in society. Analyze how race, culture, and ethnicity influence behavior. Compare and contrast sub-fields of psychology. Define the concept hypothesis and theory, analyze the requirements for using the scientific method in psychology, and identify the importance of objectivity in psychological research. Analyze research methods in psychology and explain the descriptive research designs. Identify experiments using correlational and experimental research methods. Compare and contrast ethical and unethical research, analyze the use of nonhuman animals in research, and identify the ethical principles associated with these studies. Define the nervous system and analyze how the body works with the nervous system to generate behavior. central, peripheral nervous systems, somatic, and autonomic nervous systems. affects of heredity and experience on behavior. Identify genes and chromosomes and explain how dominant and recessive genes affect physical and behavioral traits. 4 Sensation and Understanding Define sensation and analyze

4 Perception 5 States of Consciousness 6 Cognitive Development Sensory Processes Sensory Perception Sleeping and Dreaming Altered States of Consciousness Drug Use Classical Conditioning Operant Conditioning Social Cognition the relationship between sensation and stimuli. Distinguish among the Gestalt principles and identify the process of sensory perception. Give examples demonstrating how individual and cultural factors influence perception. Define Weber's Law and examine how Weber influenced the study of sensory perception. Identify the effects of sensory restriction. Define the stages of sleep and explain the cyclical nature of sleep. Compare and contrast REM and non-rem sleep features. Distinguish between the states of consciousness and identify and how scientists study psychological states. Identify how hypnosis and meditation can affect consciousness. Summarize the effects of drug addiction and dependence and produce real life scenarios resulting from drug abuse. Identify the key features of the definition of learning. Define classical conditioning and summarize Ivan Pavlov's influence on psychology. conditioning principles of human behavior. Identify and explain the process of operant conditioning including its connection to the law of effect. Distinguish between positive and negative reinforcement. Explain cognitive-social approaches to learning. characteristics of observational and latent learning. 7 Memory Remembering and Identify the three systems of

5 8 Intelligence and Reason 9 Motivation and Emotion 10 Developmental Information Processing Forgetting The Biological Memory Thinking and Reasoning Problem Solving Intelligence Perspectives On Motivation Levels of Motivation Emotions Theory of Basic Processes memory theory: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. Classify the stages of information processing. four major theories associated with forgetting: decay theory, interface theory, schema theory, and motivated or memory trace theory. List the synaptic theories of memory. Create an original diagram showing the regions of the brain that influence memory. Define cognition and identify the processes that underlie decision-making. Distinguish between concept and prototypes. Classify and describe the stages of problem solving. Identify the importance of framing and emotional factors in decision making. Define intelligence and compare and contrast opposing theories regarding intelligence. Differentiate among the biological, genetic, and cultural explanations for intelligence. Distinguish between motivation, emotion, and instinct. Explain the biological and psychological regulation of hunger and thirst. Distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Identify Maslow's hierarchy of motives and describe each approach. Explain the function of emotions. Identify and classify the James-Lange theory, the Cannon-Bard theory, and the cognitive theory of emotion. Define developmental psychology and identify major

6 11 Gender and Sex Embryo to Childhood Developmental Stages of Adolescence Adulthood Gender Identity Gender Differences Sexuality research approaches. Describe the interplay of nature and nurture in development. Identify stages of development from fertilization to infancy. Identify the cognitive, emotional, and social aspects of development during childhood. Identify the cognitive, emotional, and social aspects of development from childhood to adolescence. Identify and describe the research results on adolescent development. Explain physical and psychological changes during puberty. Identify the cognitive, emotional, and social aspects of development during adulthood. Identify and describe the psychological, biological, and cognitive changes involved with aging. Distinguish among the definitions of sex and gender. Define gender identity and gender role and develop real life scenarios that explain how these constructions impact individual behavior. Identify and describe research regarding gender similarities and differences. Distinguish between biological and evolutionary theories of gender differences. Define the psychoanalytic and social learning theories of gender differences. Analyze and describe the different forms of forced sexual behavior. Identify the sexual anatomy of males and females. Identify the human sexual response cycle and explain the biological and evolutionary

7 12 Personality Trait Influence Biological and Social Influence Personality Assessment Methods 13 Stress and Health Stress and Coping Effects of Stress on Health function of sex. Describe how AIDS impacted sexual practices and identify the infectious agents that cause STD's. Define personality and explain how trait theory accounts for individual personality. Compare and contrast Allport's trait theory with the five-factor trait theory. Identify and describe biological, evolutionary, social, and psychodynamic approaches to understanding personality. Identify Carl Jung's influence on the study of psychosexual development. Compare and contrast methods and theories for measuring and assessing personality. List the ethical issues concerning the usefulness, accuracy, and validity of personality tests. Discuss the use of objective tests such as the MMPI-2, projective personality test, and the Rorschach test. Define stress and List examples of each of the sources of stress. Distinguish between the levels of stress. List and describe the stages of coping. Identify and describe the methods psychologists use to measure stress. Define pain and develop pain management techniques. Describe the human response to stress and list factors that influence reactions to stress. Explain the relationship between health and stress. Identify Type A personality and describe the relationship between Type A personality and heart disease.

8 14 Psychological Disorder 15 Social Normal and Abnormal Behavior Types of Disorders Treatment of Psychological Disorders Social Influence Attitude and Behavior Prejudice Define abnormal behavior and identify different views of abnormal behavior, including biological, cognitive, social, and medical theories. Distinguish between phobia, social phobia, and agoraphobia. Distinguish between anxiety disorder and panic anxiety disorder and identify causes for anxiety. Distinguish among psychological and organic brain disorders. Compare and contrast somatoform and dissociative disorders. Define psychotherapy and describe the ways it is used to help people. List the ethical standards for psychotherapy. Define social psychology describe its application. Define attitude and identify three components of attitudes. characteristics of the speaker, the message, and the listener that affect persuasive communication. Identify the relationship between prejudice and stereotypes and describe how these constructions affect our attributions about other people's behavior. Distinguish among the explanations for prejudice and identify some effective techniques for combating prejudice. 16 Review Review Review of materials and final examination